Baguio in September

This year is probably the busiest so far, for both my work and our tiny family. And just before it gets even busier come Christmas season, our little family was gifted with two overnight stays at Baguio Country Club. It's a perfect break after all the crayyy and definitely an awesome down time before another wave of busy that is coming before the year ends.

Since it's been raining cats and dogs lately, going to Baguio - the summer capital of the Philippines, might seem like a crazy idea. A lot of the touristy activities here are mostly outdoors which are best enjoyed when it's bright and sunny. Thinking about it, not a lot of things we can do really.

Sounding like a boring trip already? Nope. While the things to do were very limited in the rainy season, Baguio offers a lot of nice places to eat that are equally worth your time. 

This is a lengthy and photo-heavy post so I hope you'll enjoy reading. Here are some of the places we visited and the yummy eats we had from this trip!

A Family-Friendly Hong Kong Itinerary

I thought of just picking up where I left off and share our travel itinerary during our Hong Kong trip.

This itinerary worked great for us. Mr. T and I love exploring so we really don't mind the commute, long walks and those stuff. Please also take note that I am a breastfeeding Mama (27 months and still counting) and Mr. T and I are both all out for babywearing. Those two things were big factors I guess because we were able to move around easily.

The beginning of our travel was a bit different though since I went ahead while Mr. T and Ava just followed two days later. But Mr. T just winged it and both husband and daughter arrived safely in Hong Kong. Lol.

Your hotel location is the best basis you can use in planning your itinerary. We stayed at Casa Deluxe along Nathan Road, just less than a five-minute walk from the Yau Ma Tei station. The MTR system of Hong Kong is very efficient so this was a big plus for us.

Day 1 | October 30

Arrived Hong Kong

Travel to Hotel

Lunch at Din Tai Fung

Walk around Avenue of Stars

Explored the Night Market

Our first day was pretty relaxed as we took a leisurely walk along Nathan Road, passing by Kowloon Park before we went to the Mira Mall for a sumptuous lunch at Din Tai Fung. We then walked some more and proceeded at the Avenue of Stars while we munched on some grilled squid and enjoyed people watching and sunset viewing. We stayed there until a little after dark before we went to the Ladies' Night Market where we saw the ongoing Occupy Central rally. If I were to ask, you can opt to skip this night market if you don't have plans shopping there. While it's true that there are a lot of stuff to see, it's just not kid-friendly. You can find other shops in less-crowded areas like Nathan or at Citygate Mall. After an hour of walking around, we decided to grab a quick takeout dinner and took the train back to the hotel.

What's Been Happening? :)

Ola! More than a month of nothing from my blog?! Hahah! Typical me, life has taken over again. Lol. So I've been busy, still am and will still be. So many things are still about to happen especially towards the end of the month. And then there's November, birth month of my two loves. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that my little darling is about to turn two. Oh wow! *cue nanay tears*

Anyways, last weekend, we had fun attending the FAB event to check out some new baby wraps and at the same time, share our babywearing adventures to other families. This was in celebration of the International Babywearing Week.

If you're looking for an activity this weekend, why not head on to BGC and start your holiday shopping with Bench's The Pink Ribbon Sale? :)

And for more Mama activities, my favorite Mommy Mundo bazaar is happening soon. I always look forward to these bazaars because almost all the participating vendors are mompreneurs! You will definitely find a lot of stuff here that are perfect for your family, especially for your little ones. Just like the stuff we got the last time. So mark your calendars na! :)

While October has been nothing less than awesome, I know November is gonna be great even more. And of course the holiday season! Aaaaccckk! Too much excitement! :))))

Pottery Barn Kids Manila

Last weekend, we were finally able to check out the newly opened Pottery Barn Kids at BHS Central in BGC. I will be sharing to you a few of the things you'll see but as much as I would like to recommend what to get, I was not able to buy anything because they are expensive! Lol.

On a serious note though, we are lucky enough to have a few pieces of from Pottery Barn Kids all thanks to my in-laws who lovingly sent them over for their grand daughter. :) We got the Kendall crib as well as some crib sheets. We really really love because Ava's crib mattress (from the Baby Company) was the 6" thick type and since the typical thickness of crib mattresses here are just 4", sheets for the 6" thick are a bit hard to find.

Darling Daughter loves her crib so much she even tried to eat it. Lol. Pink Elephant sheet from Pottery Barn.

Japan Home Wholesale Centre

I chanced upon this Japan Home's Wholesale Centre when we picked up a parcel somewhere along Panay Avenue months before. I told Mr. T that we should check it out and it was only yesterday that we finally did.

Japan Home Wholesale Centre along Panay Ave.

The place was huge - two floors of 88Php madness. I am such a cheapskate and there are some stuff that I've been looking for for the longest time and finally found them here! :) I think my finds should be on a separate blog since we are still planning to go back and get more stuff.

You The Mom!

Motherhood is a bit overwhelming. Ok, not just a bit but maybe a lot. But if you find the right people to help you or advise you, then it can turn the tables and reveal the real awesomeness of being a Mother. Long story short, I found mine in Mommy Mundo.

Mommy Mundo is the Philippines’ most extensive portal of mom and family-focused resources. Born out of a passion for motherhood, an advocacy for active parenting, and driven by a desire to help and provide support to mothers, Mommy Mundo aims to serve the information needs of moms not only through this online home, but through other forms of media such as print, web, events, and beyond. Mommy Mundo is made up of an active community of more than 30,000 moms. - Mommy Mundo

Mommy Mundo's Expomom "You The Mom!" in Glorietta

The Balik Bukid Experience

I've been wanting to visit Sta. Elena Fun Farms ever since I've read about it in My Mom-Friday's post. They also have the Balik Bukid fair which happens twice a year, one during summer and one in the last quarter of the year.On their first year, we were busy with the wedding preps and I didn't know about them then, the following year, we were busy with parenthood. But finally this year, it happened! Just right on time for Mother's Day! :)))

Since it was our first time, I would like to share with you some of our learnings so you can enjoy your Balik Bukid experience more.

1. It is best to choose the right time you want to go to the fair. Check the schedule posted on their Facebook Page to see what activities will interest you. The fair starts at 8:00am and ends till 6:00pm. If you're coming with babies and toddlers, I suggest going early morning, or late afternoon. Otherwise, lunch time could be a little uncomfortable especially if you're going on a hot summer day.
2. Don't forget to bring stuff that will protect you from the sun. Hats, umbrellas, abanikos, sunscreen, etc. There are available stuff on site as well, but it's still best to bring your own so you won't need to buy and spend extra.
3. Think about having a picnic! Because that's one of the best things you can do during the fair. Bring blankets, pillows, etc. You can just choose a spot and setup and enjoy munching some food you got from the participating stalls or just enjoy an afternoon nap. We're definitely doing this next time.

Here are some of the photos during our visit. We particularly enjoyed watching Ava interact with the animals. She was so ecstatic. Just look at that face. :)

Little Miss Audrey

Mr. T's company usually hosts a Trick or Treat party for the family of their employees. Last year, we were still pregnant with Ava so Mr. T was on the other side of the party, giving out treats to children. And that time, I remember him telling me how he'll bring our baby to next year's trick or treat. Which is this year! :)

He reminded me about the party a couple of weeks earlier and that's when we started looking for costumes. The DIY Mama started Pinteresting and stumbled upon a lot of really cute costumes. But the problem was, Ava can't walk yet. And most of the costumes look nice if the baby's walking already. So it came down to one, The Baby Octopus.

Photo from Mom Inc Daily

We were all set for this so I listed down the stuff we need. A few days before the party we went to SM to buy everything we need. We already had everything, but I couldn't find a black onesie to complete the costume. I needed to think of a plan B, quickly because the OC/Stage Mama in me won't settle for something na pinagpwede na. Either we get all the stuff I need acording to plan or ditch the whole thing and go to/think of a Plan B which was exactly what we did. So little Baby Octopus became Little Miss Audrey.